EP1491340A1

EP1491340A1 - Inkjet printhead

Info

Publication number: EP1491340A1
Application number: EP20040253145
Authority: EP
Inventors: Yong-Soo Lee; Yong-Soo Oh; Keon Kuk; Ji-Hyuk Lim; Donh-Kee Sohn; Mun-Cheol Choi
Original assignee: Samsung Electronics Co Ltd
Current assignee: Samsung Electronics Co Ltd
Priority date: 2003-06-24
Filing date: 2004-05-27
Publication date: 2004-12-29
Also published as: KR20050000601A; US20040263578A1; JP2005014601A; US7163278B2

Abstract

An inkjet printhead includes a substrate, a nozzle plate (120), and two heaters (108a,108b) and conductors. The substrate includes an ink chamber (106) formed in an upper portion thereof to store ink and a manifold (102) formed in a lower portion thereof to supply the ink to the ink chamber. The nozzle plate includes a plurality of passivation layers (121,122,126) stacked on the substrate and made of insulating materials, a heat dissipation layer (128) stacked on the plurality of passivation layers and made of a thermal conductive metal material, and a nozzle passing therethrough and connected to the ink chamber. The two heaters and conductors are interposed between the plurality of passivation layers of the nozzle plate and symmetric with respect to the nozzle. The heaters heat the ink filled in the ink chamber and the conductors apply current to the heaters. Two ink channels (105a,105b), which are interposed between the ink chamber and the manifold to connect the ink chamber to the manifold, are symmetric with respect to the nozzle.

Description

The present invention relates to an inkjet printhead, and more particularly, to an inkjet printhead of a back-shooting type, in which two ink channels are symmetric with respect to a nozzle to improve the linearity of ejected ink droplets and increase an operating frequency.
In general, inkjet printheads are devices for printing a predetermined color image by ejecting droplets of ink at desired positions on a recording sheet. The inkjet printheads are generally categorized into two types according to an ink ejection mechanism. One is a thermal inkjet printhead in which a source of heat is employed to form bubbles in ink to eject the ink due to the expansive force of the bubbles. The other is a piezoelectric inkjet printhead in which ink is ejected by a pressure applied to the ink due to deformation of a piezoelectric element.
The ink droplet ejection mechanism of the thermal inkjet printhead will be explained in further detail. When a current pulse is supplied to a heater which comprises a heating resistor, the heater generates heat such that ink near to the heater is instantaneously heated to approximately 300°C. As the ink is boiled to generate bubbles, the generated bubbles are expanded to exert a pressure on the ink filled in an ink chamber. Therefore, the ink around a nozzle is ejected in the form of droplets to the outside of the ink chamber.
The thermal inkjet printhead is classified into a top-shooting type, a side-shooting type, and a back-shooting type according to a bubble growing direction and a droplet ejection direction. In a top-shooting type of printhead, bubbles grow in the same direction as that in which ink droplets are ejected. In a side-shooting type of printhead, bubbles grow in a direction perpendicular to a direction in which ink droplets are ejected. In a back-shooting type of printhead, bubbles grow in a direction opposite to a direction in which ink droplets are ejected.
The thermal inkjet printhead generally needs to meet the following conditions. First, a simplified manufacturing process, a low manufacturing cost, and mass production must be allowed. Second, cross-talk between adjacent nozzles must be avoided to produce a high quality image, and a distance between the adjacent nozzles must be as narrow as possible. That is, a plurality of nozzles should be densely disposed to increase dots per inch (DPI). Third, a refill cycle after the ink ejection must be as short as possible to permit a high speed printing operation. That is, an operating frequency must be high by fast cooling the heated ink and the heater.
FIG. 1 is a partially exploded perspective view of a conventional inkjet printhead of a top-shooting type, and FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view illustrating the vertical structure of the conventional inkjet printhead of FIG. 1.
Referring to FIG. 1, the conventional inkjet printhead includes a base plate 10, which is formed by stacking a plurality of material layers on a substrate, partition walls 20, which are stacked on the base plate 10 and define ink chambers 22, and a nozzle plate 30, which is stacked on the partition walls 20. Ink is contained in the ink chambers 22, and a heater 13, which is shown in FIG. 2, is disposed under the ink chambers 22 to heat the ink and generate bubbles. Ink paths 24 serve as paths through which the ink is supplied into the ink chambers 22 and are connected to an ink container (not shown). A plurality of nozzles are formed in the nozzle plate 30 at positions corresponding to the ink chambers 22 and allow the ink to be ejected therethrough.
The vertical structure of the inkjet printhead will be explained with reference to Fig. 2. An insulation layer 12 is formed on a silicon substrate 11 for insulation between the heater 13 and the substrate 11. The heater 13 is formed on the insulation layer 12 to heat the ink filled in the ink chambers 22 and generate bubbles. The heater 13 is formed by depositing a tantalum nitride layer or a tantalum-aluminum alloy layer on the insulation layer 12. A conductor 14 is disposed on the heater 13 to apply current to the heater 13. The conductor 14 is made of a material having a high conductivity, such as aluminum or aluminum alloy.
A passivation layer 15 is formed on the heater 13 and the conductor 14 to protect the heater 13 and the conductor 14. The passivation layer 15 protects the heater 13 and the conductor 14 from being oxidized or directly contacting the ink, and is mainly formed by depositing a silicon nitride layer. Anti-cavitation layers 16 are formed on the passivation layer 15 at positions where the ink chambers 22 are formed.
In the meantime, the partition walls 20 are stacked on the base plate 10, which is formed by stacking the plurality of material layers, in order to define the ink chambers 22. The nozzle plate 30 in which the plurality of nozzles 32 are formed is stacked on the partition walls 20.
In the inkjet printhead constructed as above, the anti-cavitation layers 16 formed on the passivation layer 15 protect the heater 13 by preventing a cavitation pressure, which is generated when the bubbles burst, from being focused on a central portion of the heater 13. However, because of the anti-cavitation layers 16 formed on the passivation layer 15, the number of printhead manufacturing processes increases and a sufficient amount of heat is difficult to be transferred to the ink from the heater 15.
Meanwhile, efforts have been recently made to increase the life span of the heater by making the ink paths asymmetric so that the cavitation pressure can be formed at regions other than the heater or by distributing the cavitation pressure over a larger area so that the cavitation pressure can be decentralized.
FIG. 3 is a schematic plan view of another conventional inkjet printhead disclosed in U.S. Patent No. 6,443,564. Referring to FIG. 3, a heater 50 and a nozzle 52 are asymmetric with respect to a central portion of an ink chamber 54. An ink path 56 functions as a path through which ink is supplied into the ink chamber 54.
The conventional inkjet printhead of FIG. 3 has advantages of changing the flow direction of the ink contained in the ink chamber 54 and reducing damage to the heater 50 caused when bubbles burst. However, the conventional inkjet printhead in which the heater 50 and the nozzle 52 are asymmetric has disadvantages in that the linearity of ink droplets ejected through the nozzle 52 deteriorates, and a fluid that makes it difficult to refill the ink chamber 54 is generated, thereby decreasing an operating frequency of the printhead.
According to an aspect of the present invention, there is provided an inkjet printhead comprising: a substrate, which includes an ink chamber formed in an upper portion thereof to store ink and a manifold formed in a lower portion thereof to supply the ink to the ink chamber; a nozzle plate, which includes a plurality of passivation layers stacked on the substrate and made of insulating materials, a heat dissipation layer stacked on the plurality of passivation layers and made of a thermal conductive metal material, and a nozzle passing therethrough and connected to the ink chamber; and two heaters and conductors, which are interposed between the plurality of passivation layers of the nozzle plate and symmetric with respect to the nozzle, the heaters heating the ink filled in the ink chamber and the conductors applying current to the heaters, wherein two ink channels, which are interposed between the ink chamber and the manifold to connect the ink chamber to the manifold, are symmetric with respect to the nozzle.
The nozzle may be formed at a position corresponding to a central portion of the ink chamber, and the ink channels may be formed at the sides where the heaters are disposed.
The ink channels may be parallel to a top surface of the substrate. The ink channels may be formed on the same plane with the ink chamber.
The substrate may be a silicon on insulator substrate in which a lower silicon substrate, an insulation layer, and an upper silicon substrate are sequentially stacked. The manifold may be formed in the lower silicon substrate, and the ink chamber and the ink channels may be formed in the upper silicon substrate.
The plurality of passivation layers may include first, second and third passivation layers, which are sequentially stacked on the substrate, the heaters may be interposed between the first passivation layer and the second passivation layer, and the conductors may be interposed between the second passivation layer and the third passivation layer.
A lower portion of the nozzle may be formed in the plurality of passivation layers and an upper portion of the nozzle may be formed in the heat dissipation layer.
The upper portion of the nozzle formed in the heat disspation layer may have a taper shape whose sectional area decreases toward an outlet of the nozzle.
The heat dissipation layer may be made of at least one metal material selected from the group consisting of nickel, copper, aluminum, and gold. The heat dissipation layer may be formed using an electroplating process to have a thickness ranging from 10 to 100µm.
A seed layer may be formed on the plurality of passivation layers to be used in electroplating the heat passivation layer. The seed layer may be made of at least one metal material selected from the group consisting of copper, chrome, titanium, gold, and nickel.
The present invention thus provides an inkjet printhead, in which two ink channels are symmetric with respect to a nozzle to improve the linearity of ejected ink droplets and increase an operating frequency.
The above and other features and advantages of the present invention will become more apparent by describing in detail exemplary embodiments thereof with reference to the attached drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a partially exploded perspective view of a conventional inkjet printhead;
FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view illustrating the vertical structure of the inkjet printhead of FIG. 1;
FIG. 3 is a schematic plan view of another conventional inkjet printhead;
FIG. 4 is a schematic plan view of an inkjet printhead according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention;
FIG. 5 is an enlarged plan view of an area marked by a box "A" in FIG. 4;
FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view of the inkjet printhead, taken along the line VI-VI' of FIG. 5; and
FIGS. 7A through 7D are cross-sectional views for explaining an ink ejection mechanism in the inkjet printhead according to the preferred embodiment of the present invention.

The present invention will now be described more fully with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which preferred embodiments of the invention are shown. The same reference numerals designate the same elements throughout the appended drawings, and the size or thickness of each element is exaggerated for visual clarity and easy explanation. Further, it will be understood that when a layer is referred to as being on a substrate or another layer, it can be directly on the substrate or the other layer, or intervening layers may also be present.
FIG. 4 is a schematic plan view of an inkjet printhead according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention. Referring to FIG. 4, ink ejection parts 103 are arranged in two rows, and bonding pads 101 are electrically connected to the ink ejection parts 103. While the ink ejection parts 103 are arranged in two rows in FIG. 4, they can be arranged in a row, and also can be arranged in three rows to improve resolution.
FIG. 5 is an enlarged plan view of an area marked by a box "A" in FIG. 4, and FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view of the inkjet printhead, taken along the line VI-VI' of FIG. 5.
Referring to FIGS. 5 and 6, the inkjet printhead includes a substrate 100, and a nozzle plate 120 stacked on the substrate 100.
An ink chamber 106 is formed in an upper portion of the substrate 100 such that ink to be ejected is filled in the ink chamber 106. A manifold 102 is formed in a lower portion of the substrate 100 such that the ink is supplied to the ink chamber 106 through the manifold 102. The ink chamber 106 and the manifold 102, which are respectively formed by etching the upper portion and the lower portion of the substrate 100, can have various shapes. Meanwhile, the manifold 102 is connected to an ink container (not shown) in which the ink is stored.
A first ink channel 105a and a second ink channel 105b are formed in the upper portion of the substrate 100 and interposed between the ink chamber 106 and the manifold 102 to connect the ink chamber 106 to the manifold 102. The first and second ink channels 105a and 105b are formed in parallel to a top surface of the substrate 100 and on the same planel with the ink chamber 106, and pass through both sidewalls of the ink chamber 106. The first and second ink channels 105a and 105b are symmetric with respect to a nozzle 104 that is formed at a position corresponding to a central portion of the ink chamber 106. The first and second ink channels 105a and 105b, which are also formed by etching the upper portion of the substrate 100 like the ink chamber 106, can have various shapes.
In the meantime, the substrate 100 may be a silicon on insulator (SOI) substrate in which a lower silicon substrate 100a, an insulation layer 100b, and an upper silicon substrate 100c are sequentially stacked. In the SOI substrate, the ink chamber 106 and the first and second ink channels 105a and 105b are formed in the upper silicon substrate 100c, and the manifold 102 is formed in the lower silicon substrate 100a.
The nozzle plate 120 is stacked on the substrate 100 in which the ink chamber 106, the manifold 102, and the first and second ink channels 105a and 105b are formed. The nozzle plate 120 form upper walls of the ink chamber 106 and the first and second ink channels 105a and 105b, and allows the nozzle 104 to vertically pass therethrough at the position corresponding to the central portion of the ink chamber 106.
The nozzle plate 120 includes a plurality of material layers stacked on the substrate 100. The plurality of material layers include a first passivation layer 121, a second passivation layer 122, a third passivation layer 126, and a heat dissipation layer 128. A first heater 108a and a second heater 108b are interposed between the first passivation layer 121 and the second passivation layer 122, and a first conductor 112a and a second conductor 112b are interposed between the second passivation layer 122 and the third passivation layer 126 and electrically connected to the first heater 108a and the second heater 108b, respectively.
The first passivation layer 121 is the lowest material layer of the plurality of material layers that constitute the nozzle plate 120, and is formed on the substrate 100. The first passivation layer 121 insulates between the first and second heaters 108a and 108b and the substrate 100 and protects the first and second heaters 108a and 108b. The first passivation layer 121 may be made of silicon oxide or silicon nitride.
The first and second heaters 108a and 108b are formed on the first passivation layer 121 over the ink chamber 106 to heat the ink filled in the ink chamber 106. The first and second heaters 108a and 108b are symmetric with respect to the nozzle 104. The first heater 108a is disposed at the side of the firs ink channel 05a, and the second heater 108b is disposed at the side of the second ink channel 105b.
It is preferable that the first and second heaters 108a and 108b have the same material and size so as to have the same resistance each other. The first and second heaters 108a and 108b are heating resistors made of polysilicon doped with impurities, tantalum nitride, titanium nitride, or tungsten silicide. The first and second heaters 108a and 108b may be formed by depositing the heating resistors on the first passivation layer 121 to a predetermined thickness and then patterning the deposited heating resistors. To be specific, the heating resistor of polysilicon doped with a source gas of phosphorous, for example, is deposited to a thickness ranging from approximately 0.7 to 1µm using low pressure chemical vapor deposition (LPCVD). The heating resistor of tantalum-aluminium alloy, tantalum nitride, titanium nitride, or tungsten silicide is deposited to a thickness ranging from approximately 0.1 to 0.3µm using sputtering or chemical vapor deposition (CVD). The thickness of the heating resistor is variable so as to have an appropriate resistance in consideration of the width and length of the first and second heaters 108a and 108b. Next, the heating resistors deposited on the whole surface of the passivation layer 121 are patterned by a photography process using a photo mask and a photoresist and by an etching process using a photoresist pattern as an etching mask. In the meantime, the first and second heaters 108a and 108b may have shapes other than the rectangular shapes shown in FIG. 5.
Since the first and second heaters 108a and 108b are respectively disposed corresponding to the first and second ink channels that are symmetric with respect to the nozzle 104, bubbles generated by the two heaters 108a and 108b grow and burst in the same cycle and have the same size, and a meniscus symmetrically recedes after ink droplets are ejected. Since the directivity of the ejected ink droplets is removed, the linearity of the ink droplets is improved. Additionally, since the ink does not stagnate in the ink chamber 106 after the ink is ejected, surfaces of the heaters 108a and 108b are cooled rapidly.
The second passivation layer 122 is formed on the first passivation layer 121 and the first and second heaters 108a and 108b. The second passivation layer 122 is interposed and insulates between the first and second heaters 108a and 108b and the first and second conductors 112a and 112b, and is made of silicon oxide or silicon nitride, similarly to the first passivation layer 121.
The first and second conductors 112a and 112b are disposed on the second passivation layer 122, and electrically connected to the first and second heaters 108a and 108b to apply a current pulse to the first and second heaters 108a and 108b. The first and second conductors 112a and 112b have one ends connected to the first and second heaters 108a and 108b through contact holes (not shown) formed in the second passivation layer 122, respectively, and the other ends electrically connected to the bonding pads 101 shown in FIG. 4. The first and second conductors 112a and 112b may be made of a metal material having a high conductivity, such as aluminium, aluminium alloy, gold, or silver.
The third passivation layer 126 is formed on the first and second conductors 112a and 112b and the second passivation layer 122. The third passivation layer 126 may be made of tetraethylorthosilicate (TEOS) oxide, silicon oxide, or silicon nitride.
The heat dissipation layer 128 is formed on the third passivation layer 126, and part of the heat dissipation layer 128 is in contact with the top surface of the substrate 100. The heat dissipation layer 128 is preferably made of at least one metal material. The metal material is a material having a high thermal conductivity, such as, nickel, copper, aluminium, or gold. The heat dissipation layer 128 may be formed by electroplating the metal material on the third passivation layer 126 and the substrate 100 to have a relatively great thickness ranging from 10 to 100µm. A seed layer 127 may be formed on the third passivation layer 126 and the substrate 100 to be used in electroplating the metal material. It is desirable that the seed layer 127 is made of at least one metal material. The metal material is a material having a high electrical conductivity, such as copper, chrome, titanium, gold or nickel.
As previously mentioned, since the heat dissipation layer 128 made of the metal material is formed through a plating process, it can be integrally formed with other elements of the inkjet printhead. Moreover, since the heat dissipation layer 128 has a relatively great thickness, effective heat dissipation can be ensured.
The heat dissipation layer 128 is in partial contact with the top surface of the substrate 100 and transfers heat, which is generated from and remaining around the first and second heaters 108a and 108b, to the substrate 100. That is, after the ink is ejected, heat from the first and second heaters 108a and 108b and heat remaining around the first and second heaters 108a and 108b are transferred to the substrate 100 and then dissipated to the outside through the heat dissipation layer 128. Thus, rapid heat dissipation is accomplished and the temperature around the nozzle 104 decreases after the ink is ejected, resulting in a stable printing process at a high operating frequency.
On the other hand, since the heat dissipation layer 128 has a relatively great thickness as stated above, the nozzle 104 can be long enough. Consequently, stable high-speed printing can be carried out, and the linearity of the ink droplets ejected through the nozzle 104 can be enhanced. That is, the ink droplets can be ejected exactly perpendicular to the surface of the substrate 100.
The nozzle 104, which consists of a lower nozzle 104a and an upper nozzle 104b, passes through the nozzle plate 120 at the position corresponding to the central portion of the ink chamber 106. The lower nozzle 104a has a cylindrical shape passing through the first, second, and third passivation layers 121, 122, and 126 of the nozzle plate 120. The upper nozzle 104b passes through the heat dissipation layer 128. The upper nozzle 104b may have a cylindrical shape but preferably has a taper shape whose sectional area decreases toward an outlet of the nozzle 104. If the upper nozzle 104b is formed in the taper shape, the motion of the meniscus formed on the surface of ink can be faster stabilized after the ink is ejected.
An ink ejection mechanism of the inkjet printhead according to the present invention will be explained below with reference to FIGS. 7A through 7D.
Referring to FIG. 7A, in the state where the ink 131 is filled in the ink chamber 106 and the nozzle 104, if a current pulse is applied to the first and second heaters 108a and 108b by the conductors 112a and 112b shown in FIG. 5, heat is generated from the first and second heaters 108a and 108b. The generated heat is transferred to the ink 131 filled in the ink chamber 106 through the first passivation layer 121. Accordingly, as shown in FIG. 7B, the ink 131 filled in the ink chamber 106 is boiled to form first and second bubbles 132a and 132b. Then, the generated bubbles 132a and 132b are expanded due to continuous heat supply, and thus the ink 131 filled in the nozzle 104 is pushed out of the nozzle 104. Here, since the first and second ink channels 105a and 105b respectively corresponding to the first and second heaters 108a and 108b are symmetric with respect to the nozzle 104, the first and second bubbles 132a and 132b that are respectively generated by the first and second heaters 108a and 108b are created at the same time and have the same size.
Referring to FIG. 7C, if the applied current is cut off in the state where the first and second bubbles 132a and 132b are maximally expanded, the first and second bubbles 132a and 132b start to contract and finally burst. At this time, a negative pressure is formed inside the ink chamber 106, and the ink 131 filled in the nozzle 104 flows back into the ink chamber 106. At the same time, part of the ink pushed out of the nozzle 104 is separated from the ink 131 filled in the nozzle 104 and ejected in the form of an ink droplet 131'.
After the ink droplet 131' is ejected, the meniscus formed on the surface of the ink 131 filled in the nozzle 104 recedes toward the ink chamber 106. Since the nozzle 104 has the sufficient length thanks to the thick nozzle plate 120, the meniscus recedes in the nozzle 104 but cannot recede up to the ink chamber 106. Therefore, the outside air is prevented from being introduced into the ink chamber 106, and the meniscus fast returns to its initial state so that stable ejection of the ink droplet 131' can take place at high speed. Furthermore, since the heat generated from and remaining around the first and second heaters 108a and 108b is dissipated to the substrate 100 or outside through the heat dissipation layer 128 after ejection of the ink droplet 131', the temperature of and around the first and second heaters 108a and 108b and the nozzle 104 decreases rapidely.
Since the first and second ink channels 105a and 105b are symmetric with respect to the nozzle 104, the first and second bubbles 132a and 132b contract and burst at the same time, and the meniscus on the surface of the ink 131 symmetrically recedes after ejection of the ink droplet 131'. In addition, since the directivity of the ejected ink droplet 131' is removed, the linearity of the ink droplet 131' is improved.
Referring to FIG. 7D, when the negative pressure formed inside the ink chamber 106 is removed, the ink 131 rises toward the outlet of the nozzle 104 again due to surface tension applied to the meniscus formed inside the nozzle 104. If the upper nozzle 104b has the taper shape, advantageously, the speed at which the ink 131 rises is increased. Accordingly, the ink chamber 106 is replenished with new ink supplied through the first and second ink channels 105a and 105b. Here, since the first and second ink channels 105a and 105b are symmetric with respect to the nozzle 104, the ink 131 does not stagnate inside the ink chamber 106. As a result, the surfaces of the first and second heaters 108a and 108b are cooled fast. Then, when the ink 131 is completely refilled and the printhead returns to its initial state, all the processes are repeated.
As described above, in the inkjet printhead according to the present invention, since the two ink channels are symmetric with respect to the nozzle, bubbles generated by the two heaters grow and burst in the same cycle and have the same size. Since the directivity of the ejected ink droplet is removed, the linearity of the ink droplet is improved, and the meniscus formed on the surface of the ink symmetrically recedes after ejection of the ink droplet. Since the ink does not stagnate inside the ink chamber after ejection of the ink droplet, the surfaces of the first and second heaters are cooled fast. Accordingly, the operating frequency of the print head is improved.
While the present invention has been particularly shown and described with reference to an exemplary embodiment thereof, it will be understooed by those of ordinary skill in the art that various changes in form and details may be made therein without departing from the scope of the present invention as defined by the following claims. For example, each element of the inkjet printhead may be made of a material other than those mentioned, and the specific figures suggested in each step are variable within a range where the manufactured inkjet printhead can normally operate. Accordingly, the technical scope of the present invention is only defined by the claims. Although the invention has been described in terms of two heaters and conductors, the skilled person will understand that the benefit of the invention can be obtained with more than two heaters and conductors symmetrically arranged.

Claims

An inkjet printhead comprising:
a substrate, which includes an ink chamber formed in an upper portion thereof to store ink and a manifold formed in a lower portion thereof to supply the ink to the ink chamber;

a nozzle plate, which includes a plurality of passivation layers stacked on the substrate and made of insulating materials, a heat dissipation layer stacked on the plurality of passivation layers and made of a thermal conductive metal material, and a nozzle passing therethrough and connected to the ink chamber; and

two heaters and conductors, which are interposed between the plurality of passivation layers of the nozzle plate and symmetric with respect to the nozzle, the heaters being for heating the ink filled in the ink chamber and the conductors being for applying current to the heaters,
wherein two ink channels, which are interposed between the ink chamber and the manifold to connect the ink chamber to the manifold, are symmetric with respect to the nozzle.
The inkjet printhead of claim 1, wherein the nozzle is formed at a position corresponding to a central portion of the ink chamber, and the ink channels are formed at the sides where the heaters are disposed.
The inkjet printhead of claim 1 or 2, wherein the ink channels are parallel to a top surface of the substrate.
The inkjet printhead of claim 3, wherein the ink channels are formed on the same plane with the ink chamber.
The inkjet printhead of any one of the preceding claims, wherein the substrate is a silicon on insulator substrate in which a lower silicon substrate, an insulation layer, and an upper silicon substrate are sequentially stacked.
The inkjet printhead of claim 5, wherein the manifold is formed in the lower silicon substrate, and the ink chamber and the ink channels are formed in the upper silicon substrate.
The inkjet printhead of any one of the preceding claims, wherein the plurality of passivation layers include first, second and third passivation layers, which are sequentially stacked on the substrate, the heaters are interposed between the first passivation layer and the second passivation layer, and the conductors are interposed between the second passivation layer and the third passivation layer.
The inkjet printhead of any one of the preceding claims, wherein a lower portion of the nozzle is formed in the plurality of passivation layers and an upper portion of the nozzle is formed in the heat dissipation layer.
The inkjet printhead of claim 8, wherein the upper portion of the nozzle formed in the heat disspation layer has a taper shape whose sectional area decreases toward an outlet of the nozzle.
The inkjet printhead of any one of the preceding claims, wherein the heat dissipation layer is made of at least one metal material selected from the group consisting of nickel, copper, aluminum, and gold.
The inkjet printhead of any one of the preceding claims, wherein the heat dissipation layer is formed using an electroplating process to have a thickness ranging from 10 to 100µm.
The inkjet printhead of any one of the preceding claims, wherein a seed layer is formed on the plurality of passivation layers to be used in electroplating the heat passivation layer.
The inkjet printhead of claim 12, wherein the seed layer is made of at least one metal material selected from the group consisting of copper, chrome, titanium, gold, and nickel.